An RAF Red Arrows jet was forced to break away from the rest of the team after an incident in which witnesses reported hearing a "loud pop." The iconic display team were performing at the Rhyl Air Show 2022 in Wales as hundreds of people looked on.
But Red 6 had to return to Hawarden Airport following a mid-air incident on Sunday, August 28, which was later revealed to be a "bird strike" - where a bird had collided with the jet. The strike left a gaping hole in the jet's £5m glass cockpit, North Wales Live reports.
Red 6's team mates were left circling Rhyl for a lengthy period of time until they received permission to return back to the Flintshire airport. The strike left the pilot exposed to the elements and incredible close-up pictures of Red 6 - taken by eagle-eyed photographer and Twitter user @welshiedale2022 as the aircraft was heading back to Hawarden - show the extent of the damage to the aircraft.
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Addressing the crowd over the event speaker system following the incident, the Rhyl Air Show announcer said the jet had struck a bird, causing "significant damage" to the plane in the process. The announcer said: "From what I can hear it sounds as if a bird has impacted its (Red 6's) canopy... this generally means that the bird has gone through the canopy and completely shattered it, which means that what he's actually hearing is the wind rushing through the canopy.
"I can't confirm that so don't start tweeting it, or anything like that because I don't know, that's my biggest guess. If that's the case it's quite significant for Red 6 because they are listening to air traffic, air traffic can't hear you, which is why 7 is with him and they'll be guided down with him on his wing.
"The most important part is that it sounds like it didn't go down the engine." Red 6 was followed to the airport by another member of the team to ensure a safe route home and landing.
At the end of the broadcast, the announcer added he was "99.9% sure" the Red Arrows "won't continue the display" because it was "too much of an impact on the rest of the team to ask them to then continue after what's happened to Red 6". His prediction came true as the remainder of the troupe headed back to Hawarden once they were cleared for landing.
All pilots were given a hero's welcome back at Hawarden and treated to a round of applause by bystanders as they disembarked. In a statement posted on their social media the RAF Red Arrows said: "Thank you to everyone at this weekend's Rhyl Airshow. We had to finish today's Red Arrows display a few minutes early after one of our jets suffered a bird strike, damaging the cockpit canopy.
"This type of incident is not uncommon in aviation and is extremely well-trained for. In this instance, Red 6 and the whole team responded perfectly together, with no further risk to the pilot and aircraft.
"Happy to report the jet landed safely and the pilot is unhurt. Thank you for all of the well-wishes and many messages of support, asking about the pilot."
The pilot of the affected plane is said to be "a bit shaken" following the incident. In response to the RAF Red Arrows social media post David Montenegro, the officer commanding the Royal Air Force Aerobatic team, praised the pilot's actions.
He said: "The pilot is a bit shaken but well, thank you. His immediate actions delivered calmly and correctly with the support of his colleagues ensured a safe outcome."
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